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This short video shows a very simple way to motorize a tripod track dolly using friction between two wheels. In the video below i've modded the Cinerails Snaptrack kit.

The main parts are a simple DC motor and Speed Controller from Servo City, and small venom 11V 3S Lipo battery. I mounted the Speed Controller up top so I don't need to bend over to change speed or direction. I mounted the motor just over one of the track wheels, and used washers to get the right amount of spacing.

Unfortunately these were spare parts laying around my house, so I don't have the exact part numbers. While I work on getting that together, here's a few links to get you started. I'm sure If you contact ServoCity.com they can probably help you out with an entire kit.

I recently posted on my Instagram about using the Cinerails Dolly System for an interview, just so we could add a bit of movement for a B-Roll camera angle. It's a very simple way to add smooth camera movement to what would normally be a static shot. The kit was sent to me by the Cinerails company, and after using it a few times, I strongly believe it's going to be a steady part of the equipment we use in our future projects.

If you're not familiar with the Cinerails Dolly System, it's a Tripod Dolly System that can be used as a straight or curved track and is completed by adding common 3/4" Schedule 40 PVC pipes found at just about any hardware store.

The benefit to working with this system is that you can always travel (example: flying out of state) with the Cinerails System and pick up PVC pipes at your destination. By my house I purchased 10ft PVC pipes for about $3 dollars each. I cut them down to 9 ft, so I can fit them in my tiny Honda Fit. Check out the overview video below about the kit.

What you get is 7 Cinerails (to connect to PVC), a Cinerails Tripod Track Dolly (with casters), and a Draw Cord (used to create an arc). Using a curved track will maintain your subject in frame without having to pan the camera, and creates that highly desired parallax effect. The system is dead quiet so you don't have to worry about any sounds interfering with your audio during interviews. While I think our shot came out great, we could have improved it using a few tips from this recent Filmmaking Tip video - via Cinerails.